Means for controlling the travel of the ink ribbon used with rotary printing machines



| l l l l l l x l l Y l l c I I l I 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I l l IL llllllllllllllll INVENTOR ATTORNEY F. GREEN Filed Sept. 16, 1926 USED `WITH ROTARY PRINTING MACHINES MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE TRAVEL OF THE INK RIBBON Oct.

' 1,687,016 c. F. GREEN MEANS FOR coNTRoLLING THE TRAVEL oF THE INK RIBBON USED WITH ROTARY PRINTING MACHINES Filed sept. 16r 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 15- 10 l j W fr [/19 [@"o 04955 95 i E 10" `l jh] i i :l kw. .77 14 24 l i 14 l Em Aze 324/ 4 M I I y T0625 l mum m w f [l f INVENTOR 'l ATTORNEY Oct. 9, 1928. I 1,687,016-

C. F. GREEN MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE TRAVEL 0F THE INK RIBBON USED WITH ROTARY PRINTING MACHINES Filed Sept. 15. 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 BY I I ATTORNEY'.

Patented Oct. 9, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES FREDERICK GREEN, or,k RoMFoRn/ENGLAND, AssIGNoRl yr-o A. B. DICK CoM-- PANY, ory CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 0F ILLINOIS.

MEANS FOR CONTROLILIZlTGry THE TRAVEL OF' THE INK` RIBBON USED WITH ROTARY PRINTING' Application led September 16', 1926, Serial-No.

bonA used on rotary printing machines of the type 1n whichit'he type is carried onafrotating drum or cylinder, over which the ribbon is moved! by internal mechanism, so that it is afforded a movement over the typefaces independentlyA of theA rotation= of the printing cylinder..

In such. machines, the ribbonvis wound on a pair of: spools mounted at opposite ends of the-type space, andthe ribbonpasses from one spool over the portion ot the cylinder carrying the type onto theother spool, the movementA of the ribbonE over the type being reversed, either automat-ically or by other means, when fully woundv onto one spool.A

'Hithertmwith=machines of this type, there has been a tendency for the ribbon to wander or deviate from its proper line ot travel centrally between thefspool ends, owing to uneven dispositionof the-'type onthe cylinder, and consequently it has been necessari7 during theiop'erationof the machine to stop occasionally andA topull theribbon by Yhand to afcentral position. UnlessY this is done, the ribbon.- will ultimately mount up at. one` end ot the spool, which will interferewith its tree movement and possibly leave some of the type uncovered. Y

The principal object of the present invention is to provide mea-ns whereby the .line of travel-of the ribbon is controlled, the cont-rolbeing such that the ribbon is wound up on'either spool centrally or approximately so. Other Vobjects-of this invention will be in. part obvious and in part pointed outhereinafter.v

ln accordance vwith this invention, pivoted guide rollers are placed: between the spools and thefportion'of the cylinder carrying the type, whereby, when theu ribbon runs over to onev side or Athe other, one of the guide rollersis'defleCt-ed out of square withfthe line of travel ot the ribbon; which has the effect of correcting its deviation and causing ity to be wound kcentrally on the spool. In the present construction,r each guide roller is a little longer than vthe width of the ribbon, and is carried in. an open-sided frame, which is d below the rollermidway between its ,l Andar, sothai. 'the earl swing right angles to its. axis, and radiallyA MACHINES.

135,722, and in Great Britain January 15', 1926.

in either direction a little out of parallel with the shaft ot the cylinder.

In order that a clearer understanding oi this. inventionmay be had, attention is herey by directed to the accompanying drawings,

larv parts throughout the several'vviews of the drawings.

Referring the drawings, the printing cylinder consists of flanged discs 1.0 and 10a secured to al main shafty 11, and to the discs-is attached the printing segment 12, which is formed with the usual groove or channels-18 for the type 14,and the flange 10 isformed with, or has secured thereto, a gear wheel 15 for rotating the printing cylinder.` Between thediscslOand 10a are pivoted the pair of ribbonk spools 16 and 16 (Fig; 3), the ribbon 17 from which passes over the type faces 14.

Secured tothe flanged discs, as by way of screws as shown, are brackets 18, 18a, to which are similarly secured stay bars 19, 1.9?

Passingthrough the st-aybars are pivots 20, 20 fitting in tubular sleeves 21', 21a', the said` pivots being retained inthe sleeves, and prevented. from accidental detachment by means of split pins 22, 22a.

The other ends of the pivots 20, 20a are secured in open brackets or frames 23, 23a in which are supported rollers 24, 24;? free to turn under the action ofthe ribbon 17. These rollers are preferably formed as a series' of short rollers, as shown, which have the effect cured, as by means of screws, small plates K t 2u, 215%.

Each of the plates is bent over the trames.

and is formed substantially if-shape, as at 25", so that the plates overhang and almost touch the rollers2l, 24a.

Normally, the rollers can revolve freely under the action of the ribbon 17, and the ribbon runs over the rollers clear et the overvhanging plates 25, 25a.

Iii, however, the ribbon runs over to one side, as'depicted diagrammatically in Fig. 2, the edge of the ribbon is jammed between one of the rollers 24: and the V-shape indent 25" i' of the plate 25, and that end of the roller is pulled forward, swinging' the roller or series of rollers 24 out oit square with the line of travel of the ribbon 17, Awith the result that the ribbon is guided back towards the opposite end oi the spool 16a.

The overhanoinw alates 25 25a are made D t: a flexible enough to allow the ribbon to be pulled between the plate and the roller, so that the .movement oig the ribbon 17 isnot checked. As soon as the ribbon is free from 25, 25a, leaving about one-third onlj.7 of itsv circumference the full size as represented by 25C (Fig. l). This enables the edgeot the ribbon to get well under the part 25", so that yit is well gripped between lthe plate and the roller.

Although one roller, or set of rollers, may be sufficient to prevent the ribbon from mounting the sides of either spool, it is pret erable to provide two rollers, one between each spool and the portion of the cylinder carrying the type.

It is to be understood that the method of mounting the rollers may be varied to suit special circumstances, and the means whereby thel ribbon is caused to deflect the rollers may also be modified, without departing from the spirit of the invention, which resides in guide rollers mounted in frames pivoted centrally and means whereby, when the ribbon runs over to one side, one of the rollers is deliected by the ribbon from its normal position, out of square with the travel of the ribbon, and the ribbon is so guided Aback to its proper course.

As will be observed from the drawings each roller 24, 2l is formed a little longer than the width of the ribbon 17, so that the ribbon travels clear of the plates 25, 25a, so long as it is passing centrally over the rollers.

What I claim is 1. The combination with a printing machine otVv the character described, including a typecarrying drum, an ink ribbon disposedy over the type, and spools for the ribbon, one at each end of the type space, of means'tor maintaining the ribbon in alignment with said spools as it travels from one to the other in either direction, said vmeans comprising Ya guide roller pivoted on the drum adjacent Y to and in advance ott each spool, means on each roller whereby ,whenv the ribbon de# viates sidewise at a roller said roller'will be pivoted on the drum and will deiiect the ribbon back into alignment with the adjacent spool, each of said rollers being slightly longer than the width of the ribbon and being rotatably mounted in a frame, said frame being pivoted midway bet-Ween its ends to the drum at right angles to the axis of the frame and radially to the drum, whereby each roller may swing in either direction outy oli parallel with the axis of the cylinder, and a plate attached to each end oi" each pivoted frame, the plates on each frame overhanging and almost touching the extremit-y'vof the roller in the frame, said plates being adapted to be engaged by the ribbon when it moves toward the corresponding end of lthe roller,

whereby the roller is turned on its pivot and the ribbon deflected back into alignment with the adjacent spool.

2. The combination with a printingmachine of the character described, including a type carrying drum, an ink ribbon disposed over the type, and spools for the ribbon, one at each end of the type space, of means for maintaining the ribbon in alignment with said spools as it travels from one to the other in either direction, said means comprising a guide roller pivoted on the drum adjacent to and in advance of each spool, means on each roller whereby when the ribbon de* viates sidewise at a roller said roller will be pivoted von the drum yand will deflect the ribbon back into alignment with the adjacent spool, each of said rollers being slightly longer than the width of the ribbon and being rotatably mounted in a frame, said frame being pivoted midway between itsends to the drum at right angles to the axis of the frame and radially to the drum, whereby each roller may swing in either direction out of parallel with the axis of the cylinder, and a plate attached to each end of each pivoted frame, the plates on each frame overhanging and almost touching the extremity ol'Vv the roller in the frame, said plates being adapted f to be engaged by the ribbon when it moves toward the corresponding endv of the roller, whereby the roller is turned on its pivot and the ribbon deflected back into alignment with the adjacent spool, each roller being cut away slightly beneath said overhanging plates to facilitate the ribbon engaging between the plates and roller when it kdeviates from its normal path.

8. The combination with a printing machine of the character described, including a type carrying drum, an ink ribbon disposed over the type, and spools for the ribbon, of means for maintaining the ribbon in alignment with said spools as it travels from one to the other, said means including a guide roller slightly longer than thewidth of the ribbon, rotatably mounted on a frame pivoted midway between its ends to the drum at right angles to the axis of the frame and radially to the drum, whereby the roller may swing in either direction out of parallel with the axis of the cylinder, and a platel on each end of the frame `overhanging and almost touching the extremity of the roller in the frame, whereby when the ribbon deviates toward one side of the drum it engages v between an overhanging plate and the roller to pivot the roller, the roller thereupon acting to move the ribbon into normal alignment with said spools.

This specification signed this 7th day of' September, 1926.

CHARLES FREDERICK GREEN. 

